Dark Clouds May Hang
by Jinni
Summary: Xander finds out that he never really knew his parents at all... BtVSCharmed
1. Prologue

Title: Dark Clouds May Hang

Author: Jinni R

Characters: Xander, Piper/Leo, Phoebe/Cole

Disclaimer: All things BtVS belong to Joss Whedon, et al. All things Charmed belong to Aaron Spelling, et al. Lyrics that will be used throughout, and inspiration drawn from, are from Dave Matthews Band's "Dancing Nancies".

Distribution: The normal places.

Author's Notes: Will include spoilers up to and through Season Six of Charmed and perhaps even Season Six of BtVS. This is fair warning.

Summary: They loved him enough to set him free…

x x x Prologue, Year 2008 x x x

The attic was quiet for all that it was scattered with people. Sad, teary eyes watched the couple in the center of things. Leo and Piper on one side, Paige standing with Chris and Wyatt on the other. They'd come far and tried so hard, but in the end it was coming down to this.

"I've known this day was coming since the second I got pregnant..."

"And yet it still hurts... as it should."

Phoebe nodded, gazing down at the tiny bundle in her arms. Small pink hands, curled into miniature fists, batted with breathless energy at nothing in particular. Just the random movement of a child not even two weeks old in this world, flailing about with innocence. A thin dusting of baby fine dark hair covered the tender flesh of his scalp and she knew that if he deigned to open his eyes she'd see his father in those dark depths.

"How do we know this is right?" she whispered to everyone and no one at all, leaning into the gentle yet firm hand he laid on her shoulder. She trusted that strength to keep her standing, to get her through this. Outwardly she might look calm… but inside a storm was brewing, raining down on her heart, drowning her in sorrow. She couldn't even take solace in the fact that once this was over…

He smiled softly, running a finger over the baby's cheek before giving a significant look upwards. "I think proof of it being the right thing to do is sitting Up There right now, Phoebe."

She nodded, blinking back tears. Her eyes savored the sight of Cole touching the baby with such tenderness. Hands that had done so much... killed so many... and yet he was more gentle with his son than one would be touching spun glass. She'd never even dared to imagine this moment until that day, years before, when she'd been told the impossible... and even then she'd tried to deny it.

And now the blessed impossibility that lay in her arms was ending.

"God...Cole..."

"Shh," he whispered, laying a finger over her lips. "We don't have to do it if you don't want to."

The words meant nothing, just a sympathetic gesture to try to soothe her frazzled nerves, and she offered him a tremulous smile. "Liar."

They had to do this.

It was the only way to make sure...

... and wasn't the young man waiting Up There for the okay to come back down just proof of that?

She shut her eyes, cradling the sleeping baby to her chest.

"What if they find him?"

"They won't even be looking for him," Leo spoke up, taking a step forward.

"And..." Phoebe paused, eyes shifting to Cole before back to her son. Hard to think about that part of things, harder still to give voice to it. "What about the part of him that's... not human."

Cole raised his eyebrows at her and she fought back a flush. "The demonic part, I assume you mean?"

"Yeah, yeah," Paige sighed as she joined the group in the center of the attic with one more glance over her shoulder to make sure the two boys were content to sit and play with their toys. "Daddy's little gift to his son - what about when he loses control? No one will be there to stop him."

"Paige," Phoebe hissed, giving her sister an unfriendly look. No matter how much time passed, it would always come back to this. There weren't enough apologies in the world for some of the things Cole had done to them and she had given up trying to keep her sister in line when it came to things like that – the demonic stuff. Like now.

"What?" The other woman shrugged. "Valid question. We didn't really talk about that. Look at how much trouble your boy toy had... still has sometimes."

"He's only one quarter demon, not a half. Not like me," Cole interrupted, voice firm. "And binding his powers will do the rest. He won't be able to tap into the evil because he'll never come close to it."

He hoped.

They hoped, Phoebe corrected herself, looking down at her son. One quarter human, one quarter demon... and one half witch. He was something special. And for that reason they had to do this. Send him somewhere safe... somewhere where he stood a chance of reaching adulthood. They couldn't do that here and now. Not with both Wyatt and Chris needing protection. Two special children... a third had been unexpected.

And they just couldn't handle it. Not right now.

It wasn't fair, she fought not to scream. Later she'd break down. Later she would scream to the heavens about what was right and wrong, fair and unfair. She'd curse and yell and hit things. The thought lingered, though; it wasn't fair. Piper had never even dreamed of doing this with either of her boys. She got to keep both of her wonderful children near her.

But, then again, when had life ever been fair to any of them? She was thankful for the time she had... the husband that had come into her life... and this beautiful baby boy that she already knew would grow up to be a wonderful man.

"Alright," she whispered, her voice breaking only slightly. "Let's do it."

He was still sleeping as she laid him in the center of the circle, tears pooling unbidden in her eyes. She wiped at them, taking her place next to her sisters as Leo and Cole moved across the room to stand with Wyatt and Chris. The binding spell, so carefully prepared, was spoken in quiet, hushed tones. She didn't know if she'd be able to go through with it if he woke up... if she had to look into his eyes and know that she was sending him away.

He never stirred, tiny hands now snuggled carefully beneath the soft blue baby blanket that Paige had given her. It was one of the only baby things that she had for him. What had been the point in buying a room full when they had known all along what the future held?

"It's done." Piper murmured, wrapping an arm around her sister's waist. Phoebe melted into her embrace, silently accepting the comfort she was trying to offer. "That should hold his powers... for a good twenty years."

"Twenty-two," Paige corrected absently. "It'll hold for twenty-two years."

Phoebe nodded, moving away from the Book of Shadows, back towards her son. This time his carrier came with her, fetched from the side of the attic. Her husband beat her back to the circle and was holding the sleeping infant when she joined him. It looked... so natural to see the two of them together, for all that it was anything but.

"I'm going to miss him."

"We're not losing him," Cole offered the little reassurance that he could.

"Yeah, I know. Still..." Again the reassurance that the statement should have given her failed. She'd never see him grow up. Get his first tooth or take his first step. She wouldn't be there when he started school or did all those other things that little boys did. There would be no first dates for her to worry over or late nights wondering why he hadn't come home yet. She would miss out on the so-called best years of his life.

Yet it still came down to having no other choice. Not if she wanted to do what was best for him.

She stepped closer to the pair, breathing in the soft scent of the baby powder she'd used that morning, mixing with the spicy tang of Cole's cologne. His free arm pulled her against him, the baby safely snuggled between their bodies, and she sighed, letting that last moment of contentment with this...version... of her family wash over her.

"One more thing," she whispered. "We can't forget the --" She tapped the inside of one tiny wrist meaningfully. He nodded tightly, eyes betraying the fact that he was least happy about this part, of all of it. "They'll be hidden," she reminded him. "Until..."

"Do it."

Phoebe nodded and placed her hand over the small wrist, murmuring the words that they'd worked hard to come up with. They didn't want to change anything, not even this. If it meant marking their son... then so be it. The glyph appeared on his skin as she chanted softly to herself, a mixture of the Triquetra and the symbol for Cole's demonic form, something so old that he had only barely recognized it when she showed it to him in the Book. It flowed in rich blackness over the smooth pink skin, flaring to life in a moment of golden light before fading away to nothing. One day it would show itself, at the right moment in time, when proof was needed, but for now it was dormant and hidden.

She nearly broke down and sobbed openly as Cole stepped back from her, placing the baby in the carrier she'd brought into the circle. Knees trembling, she knelt beside it, fumbling for her husband's hand in support even as she placed one last kiss on her son's baby cheek. 

"I love you, Alexander," she whispered as she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, drawn out of the circle and back to the Book of Shadows by her husband. They had to finish this, of course.

"And one day you'll show him just how much you love him," Cole murmured into her ear. His voice broke and she felt the grief well up in her own throat again. She didn't know if she'd be able to do this if –he- broke down. Not now. Not when they were so close to finishing. Her own delicately balanced composure would collapse if that happened. He backed up a step and she could see the wetness in his eyes, knew that the tight rein he'd kept on his emotions was rapidly reaching a breaking point. Demons... especially half-demons... still had feelings. He was living, breathing proof of that. She squeezed his hand and turned to her sisters before she could see anything else that might break her resolve.

This was for the best.

Lights swirled as the spell was begun, the carrier shielded and protected before the portal even began to grow beside it. With a gentleness that finally tore a cry from her throat, the carrier disappeared.

Now Phoebe collapsed, tears pouring unheeded down her face, as the portal slipped closed. Watching him go was like losing a part of herself. She hadn't expected it to hurt like this. Hadn't thought for a minute that she would cry so hard for a child that she would, without a doubt, see again one day. She sobbed, her very heart and soul aching for the baby she had just sent away 'for his own good'.

"Leo...go..."

She heard Piper speak, but the words barely registered as Cole's strong arms slipped around her, his body sinking to the floor next to her. They were just parents… not Pheobe and Cole… or a witch and a half-demon… Right then and there they were just parents grieving.

The bluish-white of orbing caught her eye as she looked back towards the empty circle and she turned her head without thinking, watching as Leo materialized... watching the shimmer that coalesced right beside him. Her breath caught in her throat as it took shape and she wanted to speak... to say something.

"Mom? Dad?"

The young man was crossing the room before she could re-gather her wits, falling beside the two of them and into a hug that she wasn't sure she ever wanted to let go. She breathed deep, nestling her face into the crook of his neck, and for a second she could imagine that she smelled the baby powder, even though she knew it was impossible. For her it had only been a few minutes...

But for the young man that was currently telling his father how boring Up There really was... it had been a lifetime.

She touched his arm, smiling as he turned to face her, brown eyes sparkling.

"I missed you, Xander."

x x x End Prologue x x x


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm prefacing this chapter with an explanatory note. Some people didn't get what was happening to Xander in the prologue and that's fine. grin The questions will continue, I'm sure. But I want to clear one thing up… The prologue is the ending result of what happens from this point on. It is NOT the version of events that Chris will remember, as his original timeline is different from the timeline that will come from his deeds and sacrifices during the course of this fic…

x x x Part One x x x

The leather bound book that Chris held in his hand had seen better days. The spine was worn and cracking, the once supple leather now dried and inflexible. It had been a soft brown in its earlier days but time had darkened the color, obscuring what remained of the faint gold lettering on the front cover. Just one word, but it had struck him the moment he saw it, mixed in amongst the rubble left after the fight that had killed…

Chris shut his eyes, shaking his head. All of that was going to change if he had his way. If Wyatt never went evil then there was a good chance that those battles that had claimed the lives of everyone he held dear would never even happen. Not only would the world be saved… but he might not lose everyone.

It was that reason that he'd dug the journal out of his meager set of belongings, thumbing gently through the pages for an entry he'd all but memorized. Another set of hands, another set of eyes… another set of powers, even, to help them protect Wyatt and figure all of this out couldn't hurt. Plus… he, the person that this journal spoke of on more than one occasion in sometimes tear-splotched entries, was family. And finding him had always been a part of his overall mission.

If only doing this wasn't going to be so hard. Secrets that he'd done his best to keep were going to come out. There was no way to prevent it. No tricky spin that he could put on the explanation to make it anything other than what it was.

His cousin was somewhere in this timeline.

He looked down at the entry he'd found, reading through it as if to affirm the decision that he'd already made. This would change…everything. Whether or not he saved Wyatt from turning evil, this would change the future irreparably.

Still, he had to believe that doing this was a good thing. One of the best things he could do, given the circumstances. It wasn't fair to just leave him out there, ignorant of his heritage. It wasn't fair to deny the sisters another blood relative.

We did it… Right now, as I write this… my son is twenty-one years in the past…. My darling Alexander…

The words had haunted him when he first read them at the age of fourteen, bringing back memories of barely overheard conversations between his aunts, uncle, and mother. A cousin that had been sent back in time for his own good. Sent away from the hell that their lives were slowly becoming… to a place where he could grow up in safety, have a chance at reaching an age where he could protect himself before the world started to turn bad.

In his head he started to call him Alex, imagining the 'good times' that the two of them could have had if his cousin had been allowed to grow up there, with them, in that timeline. They would have been best of friends, he just knew it, if only they'd been given that chance.

We marked the inside of his wrist…the Triqueta for me and my family… and symbol that we will hopefully recognize as being a part of Cole when my precious Alexander surfaces at last… a grown man and able to take care of himself…… He'll still always be my baby, though…

Chris looked at the picture drawn below the entry, the curves and lines of the ink ingrained in his brain. Hidden on the inside of his wrist with just a simple couplet to release it in the presence of a blood relative.

He fit that qualification. Which meant that, if he could get a pin on his cousin's location, he could verify who he was before ever even telling the sisters.

Except… that wouldn't work. Hadn't he already figured that out? Wasn't that why he had the journal in his hand right now, ready to give what little proof he could that this wasn't just another lie or scam on his part? He had to tell them now or else risk problems later. He couldn't very well just show up with a new relative under his wing and expect them not to blow their collective tops.

And for that reason he was going to speak with the one sister that was most likely to help him.

His mother.

The kitchen smelled like fresh baked cookies as he orbed in off to one side of the counter, watching quietly as his mother bustled around the kitchen like one of the daydreams he'd indulged in from time to time. A happy housewife, making treats for the people she loved. He had relatively few actual memories of things like that and they were hazy at best, clouded in the simplicity of his childhood.

"Hey…mom."

Piper's smile as she turned was enough to make Chris feel good about calling her mom. It seemed so natural now that she knew, even though she was so much younger than the mother he remembered.

"Hey, there. Cookie?"

He took the proffered treat, unsurprised to find that it was still warm, the chocolate chips still gooey.

"So – anything new on the Wyatt front?"

Chris shook his head, savoring the mouthful of cookie before swallowing it. No need to treat every cookie like it would be his last. Not here, not now. Even if he failed to change the timeline there were still a few happy years left before Wyatt began to change. There would be more cookies filled with love and warmth. He popped the rest in his mouth, finishing it off quickly. "Nothing. Actually… I was hoping for a bit of motherly advice."

She grinned toothily at him, tilting her head towards the kitchen table. "Well – I'm not very good at the whole motherly advice thing yet, but I can give it a shot. Tell me what's wrong? It's not girls or anything like that…right? Because I think your father –"

"Doesn't know who I am and I'm happy to keep it that way, thanks," Chris interrupted, fighting to keep his tone from turning cool. She didn't deserve it. "Anyway – its not about girls."

"Okay," she nodded. "Shoot."

He pulled the journal from his pocket, placing it on the table before him. His hands rested lightly on the small, worn book. How exactly had he planned on saying this?

"What would you say…" he sighed, shrugging his shoulders as all his planned words failed him. "… if I told you that you have a nephew here and now, in this timeline?"

"What?" Her startled cry filled the small cavernous kitchen, bouncing from one wall to another.

Chris glanced down at the journal, smoothing the cover out one final time before pushing it across the table to her. "The pages I marked explain part of it."

She raised her eyebrows but took the journal, pushing it open to the first of the pages he'd marked. His eyes glanced over her face as she read the first part once, then again, her eyes going from the top to the bottom of the entry as a myriad of emotions played over her features.

"Oh God."

"Keep going," he instructed quietly.

She turned to the next of the marked entries, but now her face didn't shift from one emotion to another as she read, it stayed fixed with shock almost equal to that of the day she found out that he, her Whitelighter, was actually her future son.

"Oh God," she repeated, shutting the journal gently.

"Yeah, that sums it up pretty well, I guess."

"Phoebe has a son? That is Phoebe's journal, right?"

Chris nodded. "And, yes, -technically- she has a son, even though he won't be conceived for another four years or so."

She shook her head. "I don't understand. Why would she send him away from her? Much less back in time? It just doesn't make sense."

"To make sure he stood a chance," Chris explained as gently as he could. He sighed, running a hand back through his hair. "I heard the whole story only once – one night when you guys thought I was sleeping. So this might not be completely accurate –"

"Just tell me."

He nodded. "They did it to protect him. Between me and Wyatt... Leo hardly ever being around… it was too much for the three of you and Alex's dad to handle. Things were already starting to deteriorate and evil had begun to get a foothold…" He paused, searching his memories for the fragmented words he had heard that night. "I don't remember who supposedly suggested the whole thing – but once it was out there Phoebe and…the father… latched onto it. Their baby would stand a chance. He could have the opportunity to grow up without the kind of fear we all had…"

"So they sent him back," she breathed, her hand coming down to rest on her abdomen, In her eyes he could see questions swirling around, contemplating the decision that her sister had made… a decision that she obviously had –not- made for either of her own sons.

"He'd be just a little younger than me by now."

"And he's half witch?" she gasped. "His powers! What if he's already turned evil?"

The Whitelighter shook his head. "They bound his powers before sending him back. Evil would have had no reason to touch him, Mom. He should be clean…"

His mother narrowed her eyes. "I hear a 'but' somewhere in there."

Chris sighed. There really wasn't going to be any way to keep this from her if they brought Alex into the family. Future consequences be damned, wasn't he changing the timeline irrevocably just by doing this? "He's half witch… one quarter human… and one quarter demon."

Her eyes widened in shock, then even more as understanding rocked through her. "No – not possible, Chris. Phoebe wouldn't date another demon – not after Cole."

O-kay, Chris rolled mental eyes. Maybe that hadn't been understanding in her eyes, after all. She obviously hadn't put two and two together to get four, even with the clues staring her right in the face.

Or maybe some part of her just didn't want to accept what he was trying in not-so-specific terms to tell her.

"That's right," he nodded slowly. "Aunt Phoebe could never be with any demon other than Uncle Cole."

"Uncle…"

"…Cole," he finished for her.

"Nuh uh," his mother shook her head from side to side, hair swinging wildly in its loose ponytail. "You've made a mistake… somehow, Mister. We vanquished his sorry butt."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Yeah – like that's worked so well in the past, mom. The man has more lives than a cat."

"Noooo," she moaned. "Pheebs is over him. She said so. Even if he came strolling back into her life right now she wouldn't take him back."

"Denial ain't just a river," Chris smirked. He grabbed the journal from her hand, flipping to the very front. "She started writing in this off and on right after that 'final' vanquish. And, I quote, 'I'll never stop loving him. He is a part of me and now… I'll just be empty. I know that he had to be stopped but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt… doesn't mean I don't feel his loss every single solitary day… I know I'll see him again one day…be it this life or the next…'"

He shut the journal, meeting his mother's eyes.

"But –"

"You two made her feel so guilty that she forced herself to stop showing that she cared. Instead she showed you just the opposite – instead of love, hatred."

"Oh…" She groaned, softly, sinking her forehead to the tabletop in front of her. "And Cole is this kid's father?"

"Right."

"Cole and Phoebe…" she sighed. "…and now a nephew who's got a touch of the demonic in him. Great."

"Just a little," Chris reminded her. "There's another entry in there about a conversation Aunt Phoebe had with Uncle Cole. They didn't think that the demonic part of him would be that strong at all. Maybe enough for shimmering but no great powers unless he actively sought them out. Which he wouldn't know to do…because his powers are bound." He leaned over and took her hand. "We still can get to him first, make sure he is good and stays good."

He bit his lip, watching the emotions play over her face. This was a lot to take in when things were already pretty rocky in her life.

But he trusted her to make the right decision. Just as he always had.

"Well," she shrugged after a few long minutes of silence. "We have to find him. He's a Halliwell."

"Also a Turner."

"Yeah," His mom shook her head. "Might be best not to remind me of that right now. Part demon in the family… God help us."

"There's still the possibility that he's evil… that the binding spell broke and he got turned."

His mother snorted softly. "All the more reason not to tell Phoebe until we figure all of this out. And to find him as soon as possible. If he hasn't been turned yet we need to make sure it doesn't happen. I swore to myself when Prue died that I would never let another family member slip out of reach again – and that includes family members that haven't been born yet. Just… we do this without Phoebe's help until we know if we're going to have to sway him back from evil, okay?"

Chris couldn't have agreed more. He gave her a tight smile. "So – where do we start?"

x x x End Part x x x


	3. Chapter 2

x x x Part Two x x x

Piper felt caught between anxiety and excitement as she looked over the maps in front of her. The crystal swung heavily back and forth, moving slowly over the map as she guided it in great, sweeping gestures.

"Do you really think this will work?"

"It should." Piper shrugged, raising her eyes to look at her son, sprawled on the chair across the attic from her. How had she missed it? That familiarity she felt now when she looked into his eyes? She'd been blind, that was how. "We charmed the crystal to look for a lost relative and strengthened it with my blood."

"It would have been better to use Aunt Phoebe's."

"Yes," Piper conceded with a tiny roll of her eyes, a smile on her lips. "It would have. And how exactly would you have explained to her why we –needed- her blood. Somehow I'm thinking 'just because' wouldn't have worked."

"Good point."

"I thought so." She grinned and shook her head. Now if only the spell would actually get down to business and find her nephew. At this point it was hard to tell if the spell just wasn't working or if Alexander maybe wasn't living in the US. "One more sweep and then we try something else."

"Like what?"

"Well, I don't know, Chris – we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

He snapped his mouth shut, lifting his eyebrows at her. A smile toyed at the corner of his lips, taking away a touch of the guilt she felt for snapping at him in the first place. She honestly hadn't meant to, it was just that this was all so nerve wracking. Her nephew was out there – somewhere – and they needed to find him. "Yes, ma'm, Mom."

"Oh, stop it, you." She laughed softly as she slowly swung the crystal back and forth over the map, starting with the east coast and moving out towards the west. Her heart thudded for a moment over Texas, when it looked as if the crystal might drop with a thud to the paper, only to start swinging again. It was almost as if it was having trouble getting a pinpoint on him for some reason.

And then, as she was hovering over southern California.

Thunk!

"Chris! I've got a hit!"

"What?" He was up and on his feet within seconds, coming to look at the map with her. "He's here, in California? That's… too good to be true."

"Or maybe for once things aren't going to be difficult for us?" Piper added with a touch of wry hope in her voice.

"Hey, guys – whatcha doin'?"

Piper stiffened, glancing over her shoulder as Phoebe stepped from the doorway into the attic. She made a mental note of where the crystal had landed before palming it discreetly. "Oh – just some mother-son bonding time."

"With a map?" Phoebe looked between the two of them and the map with a lift of her brows.

"Mom was showing me some scrying techniques."

"Yeah – see." Piper held up the crystal, hoping that her sister didn't notice the tiny drop of blood that colored the tip of it. She turned to Chris with mock consolation in her tone. "Unfortunately, there's no evil biting at the moment. Sorry, Chris, we'll just have to keep trying."

"That's okay."

Piper looked up at Phoebe from under her lashes, trying to gauge whether or not her sister was buying their flimsy excuse.

"O…kay… Well, I'm going out for a little while. Do you need me to pick up anything?"

"No, we're good," Piper rushed out with a sigh of relief. "Go. Have fun."

Phoebe paused. "Are you sure the two of you aren't up to something."

"Heh," Piper laughed, elbowing Chris in the ribs. "Us? Up to something?"

"Yeah – us?"

"Uh huh," Phoebe smiled tightly. "Don't get into trouble."

"Hey – I resent that." Chris actually did sound sort of offended, Piper noted as she discreetly stepped on his foot and gave him a 'don't keep her standing there' look.

"Yeah, well – I'm leaving now."

"That was close," Chris sighed, leaning against the table as Phoebe finally took her leave of the attic. "Think she suspected anything?"

"With us acting so cool and collected?" Piper rolled her eyes. "Definitely." She slapped him lightly on the arm. "It's a wonder you managed to keep your secret from us as long as you did. You suck at the whole lying thing."

"You realize that most mothers would be proud that their son can't tell a good lie, right?"

"No one will ever be able to claim that I am 'most moms' – let's get back to finding my nephew before my sister comes back to figure out what we're doing."

x x x

It was a slow process, narrowing down Alex's exact location map by map, until finally they found pinpointed some little town called Sunnydale. 

Sunnydale, Chris snorted. It sounded so typical of that part of the state. A great place to grow up, he was sure. Better than where he'd grown up, that much was almost a given. Then again, just about anything would be better than that hell. A life lived in constant fear, never knowing when his own brother would finally decide that he wasn't worth keeping alive anymore.

Alex was lucky not to have grown up like that.

"We ready?"

"Yeah," Chris nodded. "Paige going to watch Wyatt?"

His mom nodded. "I tried to call for Leo but –"

"He's too busy. As usual."

"Chris –"

"Let's not, mom. Let's just not." Chris shook his head. "Some things can't be changed."

"You could tell him who you are and see what happens then." She suggested firmly, though he heard the waiver of doubt in her voice. She knew just as he did that Leo couldn't even be there for his first son, much less some stranger from the future who just happened to share his blood.

"We should get going." He avoided the subject entirely, taking her hand. "Are you ready for this?"

"Um – no? But that doesn't change anything."

Chris gave her a tiny smile and then concentrated on Sunnydale and that blood bond that they shared with the man they were trying to locate.

And as the shining light of orbing enveloped them he could only hope they didn't 'land' in a crowded location. He heard the sounds of fighting, yelling, before they even had coalesced back into being, his eyes immediately searching out the sounds of disturbance when the residual light cleared.

"What the --?"

They were in a cemetery, which was odd in and of itself, Chris had to admit. But no more odd than the scene that was playing out before them. A blonde haired girl fighting a demon, with a dark haired boy and a red haired girl watching. He took a step forward, instincts taking over at the sight of the demon, only to be stopped short by his mom's hand on his arm.

"Wait. Watch." She shook her head, pointing at the scene. "They don't seem to need our help."

He glanced back towards the fight, looking at it with an objective eye. She was right, he realized. The blonde girl could have had the demon at any time, but she seemed to be playing with it. In fact, he would have said she was sparring with it if it weren't for the fact that the demon looked really, really pissed.

"I give that a nine, Buff." The man called out with, offering the girl next to him the bag of chips in his hand.

"Do you think that's him?" His companion whispered, eyes fixed firmly on the fight.

"I don't see who else it could be."

"Only a nine, Xan?" The blonde sounded pouty as she danced just out of reach of what would have been a really nasty kick to her ribs.

Xan? Chris mouthed, tossing the name around in his head. Alexander… Alex…Xan…Der.

"Yeah, that's him." He nodded decisively.

"My nephew," his mom cooed with false sweetness, though the grin on her face betrayed her genuine pleasure in the situation, all joking aside. "He doesn't even have the family name yet and already he's fighting demons."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Well at least we don't have to worry about freaking him out too much with the whole witch thing."

"True," she grinned toothily.

"Finish it already," the red head yawned. "I don't know how many more late night slayings I can take. First vamps. Then demons. Ya know, a break would really be nice once in a while."

"Story of our lives, Wills. No rest for the weary."

"No rest for the wicked," the blonde corrected with a laugh, easily ducking another swing from the demon. 

Chris noticed the fireball in the demon's hand at about the same time as the blonde did, which was only a fraction of a second after the red head his cousin had called 'Wills'.

And it was the red head that acted, before he could even take a step in their direction or ask his mom to freeze the entire scene.

"Dissipate," she stated clearly, waving her hand in the direction of the demon. Chris watched in surprise as the fireball disappeared, leaving a very confused demon and a grinning, if not bouncy, blonde.

"She's a witch." Chris heard his mom whisper, half to herself. He nodded, glancing around discreetly to see if there was a Whitelighter off to one side, observing like they were. There certainly were plenty of good places to hide and watch, he noted, coming to the conclusion that even if there was another Whitelighter hiding out, he would never see him or her.

"Xander," the blonde whined. "Do I have to kill it? Ya know, it might make a good pet. We can chain it up, keep it in the basement. Oh! Maybe we can teach it to roll over and play dead."

"I'm keen with the 'dead' part of that, Buffy. Not sure we should keep demons in the house with Dawnie, though. Spike's bad enough."

"Right," Buffy sighed with mock frustration, much to Chris' amusement. He made a mental note of the name 'Spike' to ask his cousin about one day when they were actually at that level where they could ask questions and stuff.

Which he hoped wouldn't be too much longer, because this entire situation was bringing up a lot of them. 

"Oh, she's good," his mom commented with a nod of approval as the blonde single handedly decapitated the demon with a sword she picked up from the ground. It imploded in a flash of hellish fire, leaving the cemetery in silence.

"Just in time. I was starting to run out of snacks," his cousin snarked, sliding down off of the tombstone he had been using as a seat. "Well – I'm out. Anya said something about coming over early in the morning and I need my beauty rest –"

"Eh!" The red head threw up a hand. "Enough. I don't want to know what you need your rest for. You want us to walk home with you?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I think the Buffster frightened the Sunnydale demon population enough for one night."

The blonde snorted, running a hand back through her hair as Chris looked on in silent admiration. This girl was a fighter. A damn good one. But she wasn't completely human. No human moved like that, had that kind of strength. Yet another question he was looking forward to asking his cousin.

One day.

Not tonight.

There were more important things to discuss tonight.

"They'll be at Willie's drinking their pain away," she rolled her eyes. "C'mon, Willow. Let's get home. I need to make sure Dawn finished her homework anyway."

"That's our cue."

Chris glanced at his mom, nodding when she tilted her head in the direction that his cousin had started walking in. He watched as the two girls disappeared before slowly making his way from behind the tombstone, following after the dark haired young man. He could see so much of both Phoebe and Cole in him. From his general looks to just the way he carried himself. He had a wry sense of humor, just like his mom. Why was it that he could so completely see his Aunt Phoebe sitting on a tombstone, munching on snacks, while commentating on demon fighting? Funny those things that carried from parents to their children, without the three of them ever being in a room together.

He could feel the excitement radiating off of his mom as they silently slipped through the city streets, following along behind his cousin, her nephew. They followed him all the way to his apartment and watched as he entered one of the units.

"This is it." He looked at his mom, arching an eyebrow at her. "Know what you're going to say yet?"

She grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the door without so much as a by your leave. "Not a clue."

x x x End Part x x x


	4. Chapter 3

x x x Part Threex x x

Xander had just put down his keys when he heard it. A knock on the front door. His eyes went automatically to the little digital clock on his VCR. A little more than half past nine and someone was at the door.

Definitely not an every night occurrence. Buffy and Wills had gone back to do whatever stuff they had planned for the night and Anya had already told him that she was hanging out with her friends of the demonic variety, which meant that there was no one that should have been knocking at his door.

Except Giles, of course. But the G-Man was more likely to call than to just drop by.

Okay, okay, he rolled his eyes at his own silliness. It could be Dawn. But that, too, just wasn't of the likely, if only for the fact that Buffy had nearly staked her the last time she'd snuck out at night.

He put his eye to the peephole, eyebrows rising as he caught sight of the two people that stood on the other side. One man, one woman. Both clean cut and in no way obviously evil looking. They looked nice enough, for that matter, he supposed, but you could never be sure in Sunnydale. Chain lock in place, he opened the door just a crack.

"Um – hi?"

"Hi," the female of the pair smiled brightly, exposing perfect white teeth. She looked nervous to Xander's Hellmouth trained eye. Which could mean either one of two things – either she was a bad guy about to do something bad. Or she was afraid to be in a dark hallway at night in a town known for its death rate. "Are you named Alexander by any chance?"

There were very few people that called him that, but still it was his name. He nodded slowly. "Yeah… can I help you?"

"Are you adopted by any chance?"

The petite woman smacked her companion in his chest just as the words were registering with Xander's brain. He dimly heard her say something about subtlety, about not just springing things on him.

Not even Willow knew that he was adopted. Hell, it was something that he'd just figured out for himself a couple of years ago, looking through some papers of his mom's while trying to find the title to that beat up relic the Harris' had called a car. Giles didn't know. Buffy didn't know. Anya didn't know, for that matter, and he was –this- close to marrying her.

Yet these people standing at his door knew.

Or, they looked like they were hoping they knew.

Which could only mean…

… no, that was just wishful thinking. And he'd given up on wishing when he learned that it was too dangerous. Sometimes you got what you were wishing for, after all, only to find out that it wasn't what you wanted at all. He'd given up on the dream of finding his real family within minutes of finding the adoption papers. There was no 'better family' out there for him. The Harris' were it, as awful and hateful as they were. Why they'd even adopted a child in the first place was the only mystery that he'd ever found himself pondering. And even that wasn't any kind of often.

Yet, he found himself nodding just the same, admitting to what they were asking of him in a quiet voice. "I am."

"Great!" the male half of the pair grinned. "We're your family."

Xander shut the door without thinking, leaning against it heavily. Okay. Either these people were his family, which was looking more and more like a possibility, given what they obviously knew and the fact that, okay, sure – they sorta had the same hair color and stuff as he did.

Or they were absolutely nuts.

God, he hoped they weren't nuts. There were enough crackpots in Sunnydale without some showing up claiming to be his long lost relatives.

x x x

"They went out? Together?"

"Yeah. Some kind of mother-son bonding thing, I think," Paige shrugged, balancing Wyatt on her hip.

"Right. Of course," Phoebe nodded. "Well… I'm just going to…"

She trailed off as she left the room, wandering towards the attic. Piper and Chris had been acting weird earlier. Even weirder than usual for the two of them, for that matter. And now they'd gone out?

After spending the evening doing some mother-son scrying?

She didn't buy it, even if Paige did. Then again, maybe Paige hadn't walked in on them and been fed one of their flimsy excuses, either.

The attic door was closed, but not locked, and she pushed it open. Heading immediately to the Book, her eyes scanned over the page that it was open to.

The locating spell.

"Huh," she muttered, flipping back and forth between the pages, hoping to gain some other clue. They wouldn't have needed a locating spell for a simple demon matter. That could be done just by scrying for evil. She ran her hand over the page, hoping for a flash of something. Just a tiny premonition.

But nothing came to her.

With a frown Phoebe scanned the room slowly, eyes falling on the pile of maps where Piper and Chris had been scrying earlier. They were all shut, the crystal they'd been using gone. So that was no help.

Maybe they had just gone out for a little mother-son time, she thought with a shrug.

She turned to leave –

And stopped again almost immediately, her eyes falling on something half-hidden by one of the maps.

A book.

No, a journal, she corrected herself, running her hand over the worn cover. It sort of looked like the one that she had hidden up in her room, right down to the stenciled gold lettering on the cover.

Curious, she cracked it open to the first page… her eyes going wide as she caught sight of the writing… so familiar.

And the date of the entry was one she knew all too well.

x x x

"Hello?" The woman's voice called softly through the door. "Look, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to frighten you… We're just a little anxious."

She was anxious? Xander snorted. He was the one that had to deal with this sudden shock.

Then again, she did sound really apologetic-like.

A bad guy wouldn't be trying to apologize. For that matter, a bad guy would have come up with a better way of getting in that randomly hoping he had been adopted and playing that card.

Okay, deep breath, he told himself. This was, by far, not the strangest thing to ever happen to him.

It hardly ranked in the grand scheme of things, to be honest. Certainly not Ascension level material or my-best-friend-the-Slayer-dated-a-murdering-vampire caliber.

Sighing, he turned back to the door and slid the chain out of the lock, letting the door open completely. The surprise on his guests' faces would have been funny in any other situation.

Scratch that, it was sort of funny, even given the absolute freaking that was currently running through his mind.

"Um… do you want to come in?"

"That would be nice." The woman smiled, the first to step inside, followed by her companion. He and the man were about the same age, Xander realized with a start, as they entered the fully lit living room.

"I'm Chris," the other man offered, extending his hang in greeting. The wrong hand, Xander thought, clasping the man's left hand anyway. Chris' lips moved as he muttered something under his breath, none of which Xander caught. He felt the skin on the inside of his left wrist tingle and glanced down…

…at the tattoo that now stood out in stark contrast against his skin.

"What the hell?" Xander snatched his hand back. The subtle freaking out that had been running through him was now turning into an all out sense of dread and he found himself looking toward the door, trying to gauge whether or not he could get there and out before they caught up to him.

"It's him." Chris, if that was his real name, nodded to the woman. "Sorry 'bout that, man. Had to be sure."

"Sure of –what-?" Xander snapped, taking another step back from the pair. "Fuck. And I invited you into my home. Wills is so gonna kill me if she has to do an uninvited spell." He paused. "If you guys don't kill me first, that is. Please don't?"

Chris's smile disappeared under complete shock. "Kill you? No… we're your –family-."

"Uh huh. Sure. That's why you made with the mojo on me. Look… whatever you want..."

"No, really," the woman took a step toward him but stopped when she saw him take another away from her to counter it. She sighed and turned to Chris. "You couldn't have waited, right? Let me explain to him first? Oh, no. That would be way too easy."

"Mom…"

Mom? She looked old enough to be Chris' sister, maybe. But not his mom.

Alright – so maybe this did rank right up there with some of the weirder stuff that had happened to him during his time on the Hellmouth.

"Don't 'mom' me, mister. We're going to have a long talk about taking things slowly when we get back to the manor."

Well, she certainly spoke like a mom, Xander thought absently. And they didn't seem like they wanted to kill him.

But that still didn't explain the little spell thing or the…he glanced down at his wrist… sorta nifty tattoo he now had thanks to whatever spell that Chris guy had done.

"Hello? Can we get back to the part where either you're killing me or not killing me? Although, believe me when I say I'd prefer the 'not killing me' part."

x x x 

Phoebe put her hand to her mouth, stifling the sob that was threatening to rise up and break free from her lips. Her heart was aching, breaking. These were her words… but she hadn't written them yet.

These were her thoughts… her feelings…

But she hadn't experienced them yet.

It was her journal… from all those years in the future. Something Chris had brought back with him, her brain supplied absently, though it was unneeded. How else would it have gotten here if not with Chris?

The only thing she couldn't figure out was why he would have brought it. He'd hidden things from them for so long, harped on and on about future consequences…

And then he'd brought back something so damning to the 'future' as he knew it.

She knew she should stop looking at it. The future could be changed just by knowing what it said.

But she couldn't seem to stop her fingers from sliding under the aged paper.

She turned the page, blinking back tears.

x x x

"We are not going to kill you."

"Maim?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "We're not here to hurt you in any way. I promise."

"Yeah, well. If you're a bad guy then a promise really wouldn't mean much, would it?"

Chris heard his mom sigh, frustrated, but he couldn't help but smirk. His cousin was pretty sharp. "If I was a 'bad guy' then you wouldn't be able to trust me, sure. But I'm not."

"Uh huh. Prove it."

"Have we killed you yet?"

His mom snickered finally, the hilarity of the situation finally getting to her. She batted at his arm with her hand, smacking him playfully.

"It's that 'yet' part that I'm worried about."

"Right, sure." Chris rolled his eyes. "Because, you know, if we were evil – it would be so much easier to talk you to death than to actually just kill you outright."

His cousin blinked at him once, twice… and then shrugged. "Good point. So… we're related?"

"I… am your Aunt Piper and this is your cousin, Chris." His mom stepped forward hesitantly, taking another step when Alexander didn't immediately back away. "And we are so happy to meet you, Alexander."

"Xander," he corrected her. "And – aunt? Not possible unless you and my mom were like…. Decades apart. You're too young to be an aunt. Not to mention a mom."

The look he threw toward Chris made the Whitelighter groan. He'd slipped up and said that, hadn't he? Well, that was just great. Another thing they were going to have to explain.

Except, it sort of fell within everything else they had to explain, he guessed. How else were they going to explain to Xander how his mom was only a few years older than he was?

"Right. That whole thing," his mom waved her hand. "Can we sit – because this is going to take a while."

"Will it explain the freaky tattoo thing my…um… cousin did?"

Chris nodded. "Yeah – we'll get to all of that. But we need to start at the beginning." He paused, taking a seat on the couch. "Which, oddly enough… is in the future."

x x x

The journal fell from Phoebe's numb fingers, dropping with a soft thunk on the wooden floor of the attic.

Sobs were the least of her problems as she began to shake uncontrollably. Cole… they had brought back Cole…

Oh, God.

The journal didn't say how, though the 'when' was pretty evident, judging by the date she'd seen on the page. Not too long from now, in fact.

Her heart was beating so hard, so fast, that it was painful. Taking great, gasping lungfuls of air, she struggled to calm herself.

Cole wasn't gone for good.

She still had a chance.

With a trembling hand she reached for the journal again.

She had to know how this all played out.

Had to know if she…and him… had a chance.

x x x

"I know this sounds weird," Piper began slowly, watching her nephew carefully.

"No, no. It makes a lot of sense, actually," Xander shook his head. "More sense than a lot of things in my life."

"Well, there's more. When you're ready. But that's the basics of the wacky Halliwell family," she smiled gently.

She'd given him just a brief overview of the family, thinking it best to leave out too many details for the time being. Given that her son wasn't jumping in and adding his own two cents to the tale, she had to believe she'd been right. So he got an outline of the Charmed Ones, of what they did. Of who Chris was and why he'd come back.

And, lastly, of why Xander was the age he was, given that he wasn't even born yet.

His father, she'd told him, wasn't around at the moment. Best not to throw in the whole demon thing, her mind whispered. He had enough to deal with without a mixed heritage on top of everything else.

That would be something that Phoebe could talk with him about.

Once she knew, of course.

"So… my mom is…"

"In San Francisco, alive and well last time we saw her," Chris supplied with a wry grin. "Which, given this family, says a lot, believe me."

"I do." Xander muttered. "Sorry, not so much with the talking right now. Trying to deal."

"You just sit there and deal, sweetie. Take all the time you need."

"Can I meet her?"

Well, that was certainly the last thing she expected him to ask next. In fact, she'd half expected a lot more questions about witches and magic.

Then again, she reminded herself with images of what she'd witnessed in the cemetery, maybe that part wasn't as fascinating to him as it would have been to anyone else.

Maybe it was the idea of family that had hooked him.

She couldn't say that she blamed him. Family was… more than important. It was the most important thing in this world.

And he'd been deprived of it for his entire life. Oh, he'd shared a little of his life when she asked what his adoptive parents were like. But it was the things that he didn't share that worried her. It was the look on his face when he casually sidestepped the questions she asked that made her want to hunt those people down and give them a good scare.

"Of course – as soon as we tell her about you."

His eyebrows rose. "She doesn't know?"

"We wanted to find you first," Chris explained with all the patience of someone that was used to having to explain weird things. "Make sure you weren't ev—"

"Wanted to meet her," Piper cut her son off with a mild glare. No sense telling the boy they were worried that he'd be evil. That would just lead to questions that would inevitably lead to Cole… and demons.

And, again, she was so not going there. Not right now. That was a momma's job and she was not this boy's momma. She had two of her very own little… or, not so little in Chris' case… boys to look after.

"Well, I do. You know, when she's ready."

"Alright, then." Chris stood up. "You sit there and think about it all… and we'll go back and talk to Phoebe. I'll come back when we're done – one way or the other."

Piper hid a smile with her hand. Was it obvious to Xander how happy Chris was to meet him? He'd grown up knowing about this mythical cousin of his… and now that he had him in front of him… it was like her son was five all over again. All full of exuberance and eagerness.

"Ok. Cool," Xander nodded, mostly to himself. "How far of a drive is it from here to there?"

"Dunno," she shrugged as she stood, taking Chris' hand in her own. "One of the great things about being in this family – we fly air Whitelighter."

Her son chuckled softly at the confused look on Xander's face. "I'll explain when I come back."

And in a flash, they were gone.

x x x

Phoebe heard the soft tinkle of chimes, looking up just as her sister and Chris coalesced in a shower of orbs. Her face was dry, but her chest still hurt from the pain, shock, and joy that she had experienced all in a short span of time. The journal was in her hand, shut for the last time. She'd read as far as she needed to figure out where they'd gone.

"Did you find him?"

"Phoebe!" Piper yelped, whirling to face her. The look on her face was almost comical. "Find who?"

"Don't play games!" Phoebe half-yelled, half-moaned. She held up the journal, shaking it at them. "Did you find my son?"

They looked back and forth between each other, Chris and Piper, and Phoebe felt her heart drop. They'd found him… and he wasn't okay. He was dead or something, her mind offered with heartbreaking agony. Or maybe they hadn't found him at all…

"Yes, we found him." Chris offered. "And he wants to meet you… when you're ready."

She jumped up from the floor, dropping the journal without a second thought. "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" Piper stepped in front of her, blocking her progress to Chris. "Don't you have any questions, honey?"

"No. No questions," she shook her head. "I just want to see him."

Piper met her eyes for a long, searching moment, and then stepped out of her way.

She took a step toward Chris, knowing that her entire life was about to change.

But for the better… finally for the better.

And then she took his hand.

x x x End Partx x x


	5. Chapter 4

x x x Part Four x x x

"I know… I know…. I'm sorry?"

He had a kind voice, Phoebe decided as they orbed into her son's apartment, catching the tail end of whatever conversation he was having. With his back to her she could only see his hair, dark like hers. Like Cole's. Only Chris' hand on her arm kept her from running to him now, announcing her presence by throwing her arms around him and hugging him like there wouldn't be a tomorrow. She could sense a multitude of emotions rolling off of him – excitement and anxiety being among the strongest.

"I'm a bad friend… I know… Still my bestest bud? So… you'll do it? Now? C'mon over…"

He turned and Phoebe thought that, yes, she might actually pass out. His dark eyes caught site of them, widening with surprise. She felt a tug on her heart and just knew… without it even being confirmed… that this was him.

"Um… gotta go Wills…" he murmured into the phone. "I think I'm about to meet my mom."

She took a step forward as he dropped the phone onto the chair he stood next to.

"Um… hi?"

"Hi," Phoebe echoed, her eyes brimming with tears. This boy… no, man… was her son! It was almost inconceivable, really … and yet, there it was. The absolute truth. She could see herself and Cole in him. That expression on his face right now? The stunned shock? Well that was pure her. And the way he had his hands shoved down in his pockets, thumbs still sticking out. Well, that was Cole.

And of course none of that made sense because little things like that – habits and whatnot – didn't come with genes, which was all he'd had from her and Cole for his entire life. He hadn't grown up with either of them, there was no reason for him to act like either of them…

… except… every little thing reminded her of herself or Cole.

"I'm gonna go check on mom and Paige."

Phoebe's head snapped around to Chris. She'd forgotten he was even standing there. "Oh… okay. I'll be here… with him."

"Xander." The two men offered at the same time.

Chris held his hands up. "I can see my assistance is no longer needed. Call if you need me, Aunt Phoebe."

She turned back to her son… Xander… without bothering to see the orbs as Chris left.

"So… I take it you're Phoebe… my mom?"

Phoebe nodded. Something was nagging at the back of her mind and she took a second to put two and two together.

"Why aren't you freaking out about the way Chris just left? Or how he and I got into your apartment, for that matter?"

Xander's eyebrows rose. "They didn't tell you anything?"

She blushed. Perhaps her exit from the manor had been a little hasty, after all. "Well, you know… I was in such a hurry to come meet you…"

"Ah. O-kay. Take a seat, then. This story usually takes a while."

x x x

The story of his life in Sunnydale definitely got easier and more exciting with every telling, Xander thought with a small smirk of pride as he watched the emotions play over her face.

This was his mom.

He had to keep reminding himself of that fact because looking at her made everything confused in his head. Sure, there was some resemblance, he guessed, but she was so young!

"And I thought the time travel thing was weird when we found out who Chris was," she muttered in the silence that followed his story. "I mean – you're just a little younger than me, yet I'm your mom… your dad doesn't exist currently…"

"Whoa – what's that again?"

She blinked owlishly, mouth working silently. He could almost see the thoughts racing through her head.

"They didn't tell you about Cole?" Was what she settled on at just the point when he was wondering if he needed to get a glass of water to throw in her face.

"Um – that he's my dad, yeah. Big no to anything else. What do you mean he doesn't exist?"

"Um… well… you see…Heh… Your dad –"

A knock on the door cut her off and Xander could have sworn that he saw a look of relief cross her face.

"That'll be Willow and Tara," he explained to her, still curious about what was going on with his father. They'd have plenty of time to talk about it later, provided this all panned out. He stood and crossed to the door, swinging it open to reveal the red head and blonde. "Great timing, girls."

"We try." Willow grinned, pushing past him into the room. He heard her stop halfway into the living room.

"Wills… Tara – meet Phoebe, my mom. Who just so happens to also be a witch."

"A good witch?"

He grimaced at Willow. "Benefit of the doubt, Wills."

"Right, right," his oldest friend nodded, turning back toward his mom. "Sorry – living on the Hellmouth and all. Makes a girl jumpy about the forces of badness. And then there's that whole you looking young enough to be his sister thing… which would be the time travel he mentioned, I guess. Oh. Did Xander tell you about the Hellmouth?"

His mom nodded, standing to greet both Willow and Tara with a smile so bright he could see the teeth in the very back of her mouth. "It's nice to meet you two."

"Hi," Tara murmured.

"Great to meet you," Willow agreed, throwing a dark look towards Xander. "Because, you know… we thought we knew Xander's mom and then we found out we didn't know her… and now we know her all over again. Funny how the world works,.. hmm?"

Xander winced and gave his mom a sheepish look. "I never told anyone I was adopted."

"Uh huh." She shook her head. "Secret keeping – something both your father and I were veeeeeery good at."

"See," Xander pointed accusingly at his mom. "It's in the blood. I can't help it."

Willow's pointed glare was all the response needed. 

"Right," he shrugged. "So – family tree spell?"

"Spell?"

He turned to his mom. "Yeah, you see – while I like the idea that I'm related to someone that's not an abusive jerk or a drunk, there's that little matter of…"

"Living on a Hellmouth and being used as pawns for the forces of evil," Willow added helpful when he began to fumble for the right words.

"Exactly! Thus my two favorite witches are going to do a little spell – just to verify everything."

x x x

A spell.

Of course.

She could have done one of those, too, she wanted to say. Instead she watched as the two girls set up on the coffee table. A candle, a large sheet of blank white paper, some herbs of some sort.

"How'd you girls find this spell?" she asked, genuinely curious as she watched.

The two shared a look that Phoebe couldn't interpret, before turning back to her with pink cheeks and embarrassed grins.

"Harry Potter fanfic."

"Harry… Potter… fanfic?"

She understood the Harry Potter part….

… but what was 'fanfic'?"

"Just… ignore us," Tara whispered, the blush covering her face.

"Uh huh…" Phoebe drawled. "Ignoring commencing."

She sat down on the edge of the couch, extending her hand with only a tiny amount of trepidation with Willow asked for it.

"A drop of blood from both of you," she shrugged. "We don't need yours, really. But it'll help the spell along. And that's a good thing, the help I mean. Because we might need it. I mean… he's not even technically born yet so this could go all sorts of wonky." The red head turned toward Xander. "And don't think we're not having a big old conversation about that, mister. Way to drop the bombshell.. 'Wills, I'm adopted… Wills I'm from the future…'" She snorted softly, shaking her head with what looked to Phoebe like good-natured irritation.

Phoebe nodded in agreement to, well, everything that Willow had said, offering up the tip of her finger which the other witch pricked with practiced ease. There would be much talking that still needed to be done.

One drop of her blood, one drop from Xander. It went into the mixture of herbs, which they then began to smoke over the fire before waving the smoke over the blank paper.

"I don't remember smoking herbs in the Harry Potter books," Phoebe pointed out with a lift of her eyebrows.

"We modified it." Willow grinned. "Because waving a wand is so childish, you know?"

She didn't know, but noticed that these girls weren't saying any spells, either. Not wanting to bring up her own particular brand of magic use, she kept her mouth shut.

After all…rhyming was a little silly, too, right?

"Let's see…. Look, there's you, Xander."

Phoebe leaned forward at the same time Xander did, their arms brushing against one another. She gave him a smile, turning her attention back to the paper. Yep… there was Xander's name… and hers and…

Well… that was unexpected.

"Balthazor?" Xander's head jerked up, eyes meeting hers with confusion. She didn't need to be an empath to see that the confusion was bordering on fear. "I thought you said my dad's name is Cole."

"It was… is… Oh, God." Phoebe put her head in her hands, mind awhirl with both what she needed to say… and what she didn't want to say.

How do you tell your son that his dad is part demon?

x x x End Part x x x


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Your… father… Well, that's an interesting subject… Heh…" Phoebe began slowly.

"How interesting?" Willow asked. "Because the more I look at that name, the more its starting to look veeeeery familiar."

Phoebe gave the younger woman a look that was half-warning, half-begging. She wasn't sure exactly how her son was going to take the news about his father… but she did know that she should be the one to tell him about it in as many or as few details as he wanted.

"Your father's name was…is…" Phoebe dropped her head into her hands. "This is still so confusing, even to me."

She felt a light touch on her arm and was only half surprised to see that it was Xander when she finally had the courage to look up.

"Just tell me. I can't be that bad, right? Start at the beginning."

"The beginning?" Phoebe questioned, her brow furrowing. "Right. The beginning. I can do that. I think." She took a deep breath, pausing for just a second. "Cole Turner was the name your father used in the human world. Belthazor was his true….demonic… name."

The soothing touch on her arm was gone almost immediately. "Demonic? My dad's a demon?"

"Half," Phoebe hurriedly interjected. "He was half-demon."

"Still….demon? As in not human? As in…well… evil?"

"He… heh… evil is such a strong word, Xander," she fumbled for what to say. "He tried his best to overcome his nature. I fell in love with the good man that Cole Turner could be and he worked so hard for so long not to be Belthazor. Not to be a demon if only because he loved me, too. But –"

"But?" he prompted, more calmly now, she was happy to note.

"Fate conspired against us," Phoebe whispered. "He became fully human… and then he became the Source of all Evil… and then he was vanquished and came back slightly insane, definitely powerful… invincible, even. One thing never changed, though. Evil, good, crazy or sane, he loved me right to his last breath."

"Source of all Evil?" Xander choked out. "My dad was … okay… and last breath? You mean he's dead now? But I haven't even been conceived yet."

"Ghostly conception?" Tara quipped softly, earning a smile from everyone except Xander. 

Phoebe watched her son pace the length of the room, wishing that there was something she could say to help him through whatever he was feeling. What was there really to say though? Everything she'd said was the truth. To deny any part of it would be to lie to him and maybe herself, too.

She swallowed and forced herself to deal with the question he'd posed. "According to the journal Chris brought back from the future… Cole was alive and well when you were born. Which means we must find a way to bring him back… otherwise you wouldn't be here with us right now."

"That's just great," Xander frowned. "In order for me to even be born we have to somehow figure out a way to bring a demon back into the world. Not sure if I want that, no offense."

Phoebe winced, sadness pooling in her almost as soon as she registered what he'd just said. Already she'd found it within herself to love this young man. He was kind and funny… and he was her son.

And how well she could sympathize with what he felt! How many innocents had Balthazor murdered? How many times had he tried to kill her or her sisters? Not to mention her little stint as Queen of all Evil, thanks to him.

Despite all of that, she wanted him back in her life… wanted just one more chance to see if maybe, just maybe, they could make things different this time around. From what her journal said, he hadn't been doing evil deeds, though some of the things she'd written in the future indicated that he'd been in full possession of his demonic side.

Phoebe bit the inside of her cheek, wishing for the right words to set Xander's mind at ease.

But found it suddenly unneeded as Willow did it for her.

"Pfft, Xan. I can give Angel a soul. You think I can't find a way to make your dad's demonic half not so demon-y? Give me a little credit."

Phoebe wasn't sure who Angel was or why he'd needed a soul, but Willow sounded pretty sure of herself and Tara was nodding right along with her.

"We'll make it a Scooby project," the more quiet of the two young women smiled shyly. "First the whole binding thing…and then the bringing him back from the dead part."

"We are –so- not letting you not be conceived," Willow glared at him for a full second before her face melted into a bemused smile. "Wow that sounded weird. But you get the point. You're my Xander shaped friend and I don't want to lose you over something as silly as having a half-demon daddy, okay?"

Phoebe blinked in surprise. These kids… young adults or whatever… were taking this almost too well.

Except for Xander, that was. He looked… horrified.

"Wait… I'm part demon? Great… just great. Deadboy gets wind of this and I'll never live down all those, you know, put downs."

"Deadboy?"

"A vampire…friend of ours."

"Whoa… hold on – vampire friend?" Phoebe spluttered.

"We use the word 'friend' loosely," Xander offered.

"No we don't," Willow corrected. "His name is Angel and he's a good vampire. He's got a soul and everything."

Phoebe nodded along, half dazed. It was official – they had a weirder life than she did.

"Back to the me being part demon bit, if we can. I look human. I feel human. I'm not evil and I have zero powers," Xander paused. "Is there a possibility this guy isn't my dad? I mean – Will's spell could have been wrong."

"But not my journal," Phoebe shook her head, giving him a sad smile. It hurt that he was so upset about this. Maybe he really wouldn't want to have anything to do with her or Cole… when and if they got that entire mess sorted out, that was. "You are exactly one quarter demon… half witch… and one quarter plain old human. Your powers were bound at birth, from what my journal says." She bit her lip, debating whether or not to say anything else, then decided to just go for it. "You probably have a demonic form but since your powers are bound you can't use it."

"Well let's keep it that way," he scowled. "This is just my luck, you know. I finally meet my real family and they're even more messed up than my foster family."

Phoebe winced before she could stop herself. She knew that he was just in shock, but his words stung.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, fighting back the grief that the words caused. "If you want… you don't have to keep in contact with any of us after we figure out how to make sure you're born."

"What? Why wouldn't I –" Xander sighed. "Look, I'm sorry if I'm a little wigged. This whole your mom's a witch, your dad's a demon thing is getting to me."

"Then let's not forget that both of your aunts are witches and your uncle Leo is a guardian angle of sorts," Phoebe half-joked, trying to let his words bolster her.

He smiled crookedly. "And that time traveling cousin of mine."

"Right," Phoebe nodded. "Definitely can't forget good old sneaky Chris."

"They're just as normal as we are, Xan," Willow spoke up between a huge yawn.

"Frighteningly, yeah, I think you're right. Guess my mom dating a demon can't be any more screwy than Buffy dating a vampire."

"Or me dating a werewolf. Or, hey, you and that mummy girl. Or you and the preying mantis teacher lady. Or –"

"I get the point, Wills."

The red head grinned, mouthing something that started with 'an' to Xander. The name of an ex-girlfriend or current girlfriend, maybe? Another non-human to taunt him with?

Phoebe made a couple quick mental notes on things to ask about later, her eyes going to the clock on the wall. They'd been sitting here talking for a while and, as much as she hated it, she needed to call Chris and get back home. Piper and Paige were probably dying to talk to her. She was surprised Paige hadn't orbed over here already, for that matter.

She sighed, drawing the attention of the room back on herself. "I need to get home."

"Oh," Xander's face fell. "Already?"

"You can come with me."

The words were out of Phoebe's mouth before she could think about the offer and how he might react to it. She held her breath, just waiting for his response.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course," she nodded, excitedly, a grin breaking out on her face. Her son was coming home with her! It was like some weird dream… that felt incredibly real and warm. "For as long as you want. You haven't even met your Aunt Paige yet… she's going to flip. But in a good way. Do you need to pack some clothes? A toothbrush?"

She realized she was babbling when she noticed the chuckling coming from everyone in the room. With a blush, Phoebe snapped her mouth shut.

"I'll go toss some stuff in a bag," Xander nodded before turning to Willow and Tara. "You two will explain where I went to Buffy."

"Of course," Willow smiled. "Have fun and be safe! No getting dead."  
An interesting, if not morbid, way to say goodbye, Phoebe thought as she said her goodbyes to the two girls. She locked the door behind her, rocking back and forth on her feet as she looked around the living room. Nice enough for a boy his age, she supposed. There were no pictures of anyone that could be either his adoptive mother or father, though lots of his friends.

She looked away from the assembled memories as footsteps started down the hall. "Ready?"

"Um… toothbrush…hairbrush…clothes for a couple days… Yeah, I'm good to go."

She smiled, resisting the urge to hug him senseless. Yep, there was a little bit of her right there… and some of Cole there…

"Um... Phoebe? Mom? You still with me?"\\

"Sorry," she laughed. "Got lost for a second."

"Better now? Do you need to use the phone to call Chris? Unless you can do that nifty teleport thing?"

"Orbing," she corrected absently. "And, no, only Whitelighters can do that."

"Right. Gotcha. Whitelighters teleport. And… has anybody told you when you smile like that its sort of freaky? I mean, wow, I can see all of your teeth."

Phoebe snorted. She'd heard that one before. "Chris!"

Xander blinked in surprise. "Um – it helps to pick up the phone and dial first?"

"No – you see Chris is our –"

She stopped as the familiar soft tinkle of chimes filled the room, turning to face her nephew.

"Something wrong?" He asked worriedly, looking back and forth between her and Xander.

"Nope. We're ready to go home now."

"We? Man – you're coming to the manor?" Chris grinned. "Paige is going to be so psyched. Mom's had to threaten her pretty bad to keep her from orbing over here herself."

"Aunt Paige is one of those Whitelighter people?"

Phoebe shared a look with Chris. "We've still got a lot of family history to go over, I see."

"Which we can do back at the manor." Chris held his hand out to Xander, who eyed it speculatively. "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt or anything."

"Orbing is the only way to travel," Phoebe nodded as she took Chris' other hand.

"Okay, then," Xander shrugged, grabbing Chris' outstretched hand. "Beam me up Scotty?"

x x x End Part x x x


	7. Chapter 6

x x x Part Six x x x

/Could I have been… A parking lot attendant?  
Could I have been… A millionaire in Bel Air?  
Could I have been… Lost somewhere in Paris?  
Could I have been… Your little brother?  
Could I have been anyone other than me/

He was right, of course. The whole orbing thing didn't hurt at all. Sort of tingly in a good way, Xander decided.

Then again, that could have just been those nervous butterflies in his stomach.

He watched the glowing light things fade out, a room coming into view with every passing second.

And then… they were there. Or, he assumed they were there. His mind was pretty muddled and it was completely possible that he was imagining this whole, entire twisted thing.

His mom was a witch.

His dad was –half- demon.

Half. Had to stress the half part and focus on the half-human thing or he was pretty sure he was going to start thinking about the fact that –he-, the normal one of the group, was really part demon.

See, he'd gone and thought about it.

"You okay?"

Phoebe… his –mom-, was speaking to him, he realized belatedly, trying to rouse himself out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Xander nodded slowly. "Just…trying to deal."

"I know what you mean," she smiled. "I'm pretty sure I'm about two steps away from a breakdown at this point."

And –of course- she'd understand. Because, hello, she'd had this all sort of sprung on her, too. To top it all off, it was an uber wigsome scenario no matter which way you were looking at it.

"I'll… just go tell everyone we're back," Chris offered, making a hasty retreat from the room.

"Wow," his mom drawled. "Don't think I've seen him move that fast since the last time we tried to pin him down on info from the future."

That brought a laugh to his lips, the thoughts that had been plaguing his mind finally shaking free for the time being to let him focus on the here and now.

Except… the here and now looked sort of like a big, old attic.

"Um – this is –" he gestured at the room.

"Oh! This is the attic," his mom shrugged. "We tend to use it for all things of a magical nature. Also makes a pretty good landing pad for orbing in multiple people. Or… one overly excited aunt…"

He recognized the now-familiar sound of orbing one second before she spoke those words and he turned in the direction his mom pointed in, right over his shoulder, watching as another woman materialized before his eyes. 

"This would be your aunt Paige, by the way," his mom spoke up from right beside him, arms crossed over her chest. "The stairs broken, Paige?"

The other woman rolled her eyes. "I was in a hurry."

"Obviously."

"Don't get me started little Miss Still-Hankering-For-Her-Demonic-Ex," his aunt sniped, a tiny smile on her lips in what Xander could only assume was an attempt to soften the blow of her words.

"Eh!" Another voice joined the conversation. Piper, he reminded himself as he caught a glimpse of his other aunt, and Chris, and a baby that he was assuming he was also related to. "Remember what I said – no picking on her. What's done is done and we're happy to have Xander here with us. Right?"

"Right." Aunt Paige grumbled with another roll of her eyes. "Even though 'what's done' has not been done yet."

"But it will be," Piper frowned. "Now zip it on the lecture and make with the introducing yourself to your nephew."

"Oh! Right!"

And that was how Xander found himself hugging yet another strange woman.

"I am very happy to meet you," she murmured, pulling back to look at him. "Even… you know… all things considered."

Xander snorted as his mom and Piper sighed in frustration. "I understand completely being that I'm against the whole demonic thing, too. But, hey – I sorta like living, too."

"Living can be cool," Paige nodded wisely, her lips quirking up with amusement. "So – tell me all about yourself."

"Or we can take him downstairs for a snack and let him open up to us slowly," Piper called in a sing song, her footsteps already echoing back toward the door that he was assuming led to stairs and then down to the rest of the house. "Come on, Xander. They're still warm."

"She made you cookies," Chris grumbled, falling into step next to him. "She didn't make me cookies when I came here for the first time."

"You hid who you were, tricked Leo into becoming an elder, and the list keeps rolling," Piper called from the second floor landing. "Not to mention the whole not telling us about Wyatt going evil right from the get go, young man. I don't think it was a cookie kind of moment. Speaking of which – Xander, this is your very non-evil cousin Wyatt."

She tilted her head at the baby she held on her hip as they finally made it, as a group, to the first floor of the house.

A very large, very nice house, he noticed. Definitely not some crummy little hell hole like the place he'd grown up in.

It made him wonder what his life would have been like if he'd been allowed to grow up with them… with his –real- family.

But there were good reasons for sending him away, he reminded himself, barely listening as his mom and aunts chattered away. The smell of fresh chocolate chip cookies wafted gently to his nose, pulling him right out of any melancholy thoughts. 'What ifs' and 'should have beens' just didn't hold up under home baked goodness.

"Let me know if you start getting tired," his mom murmured, passing him a plate with a couple cookies on it. "This is all…overwhelming and we have so much to talk about, but we don't have to do it all tonight, no matter how eager your Aunt Paige is."

"I heard that," his aunt called from across the kitchen, mouth half-full of cookie.

"Of course you did," Phoebe grinned.

Xander stood back and watched as the sisters interacted with one another, enjoying the cookies that he'd been given. Made from scratch, if he had to place a bet.

"They're something else, aren't they?" Chris joined him as the playfully squabbling sisters began to get into who should tell what part of the family history.

Xander nodded. "It's cool, though."

And it was. It really was.

"Well don't let the happy home scene fool you," his cousin chuckled. "We're just as, if not more, dysfunctional than any other family. I mean, hey, I haven't even told Leo that I'm his son yet."

"You're my –what-?"

If he had to guess, Xander would say that the shocked guy in the doorway – the one no one had managed to notice arriving amidst all the excitement and noise – was Chris' dad.

And, wow, did he look like he'd just gotten the shock of his life.

x x x End Part x x x


	8. Chapter 7

Note: In going back and starting to work on this fic again, I've noticed some plot inconsistencies in regards to the timeline I set and the pace of the timeline. I ask for now that you just…gloss over those. I'll be fixing them as I have time.

x x x Part Seven x x x

Silence descended on the kitchen in the wake of Leo's startled exclamation. Piper licked her lips nervously. Of all the ways she could have imagined him finding out – this wasn't even in the top ten. He looked as if the rug had literally just been pulled out from under his feet, leaving him shattered and shocked.

She couldn't really say that she didn't understand, though. It had been a surprise when she found out about Chris. The knowledge that he was her son had left her reeling, not to mention hurt that he hadn't just been honest about things from the very beginning.

"Leo –"

"You're my son?" Leo repeated Chris' words incredulously.

Chris sighed, rolling his eyes. "Great. Just… great. This is so completely what we needed tonight, of all nights."

"Chris –"

Chris looked over at her, shaking his head as if to say that he hadn't wanted this to happen.

And then he grabbed Xander's hand and orbed them both away.

"He took Xander!" Phoebe shrieked after a moment's silence, the loud cry piercing the stillness of the kitchen and making Piper jump just a little. "Your son stole my son!"

"He probably –" Piper began, unsure of where she was even going with her conciliatory comment.

But she didn't get a chance to figure out where her comment was leading, because Leo interrupted.

"Your son?" Leo muttered, sitting heavily in one of the kitchen chairs. The look on his face was pure confusion and almost comical, in a sad way, to Piper. Paige was shaking with silent laughter, though, not bothering to hide the amusement she was getting from Leo's confusion. "Chris is my son… and that other guy is your son, Phoebe?" He shook his head. "When did our lives suddenly get weirder than usual?"

"I'm sure Chris was going to tell you eventually," Phoebe volunteered and it was all Piper could do not to groan in anguish. That was the worst possible thing that she could have said, of course, because it would have to lead to -

"What I can't figure out is why none of you, not even you, Piper, told me about this," Leo sounded and looked hurt beyond anything that Piper could remember seeing of him before. He glanced downward, at the slight curve of her stomach, pushing against the maternity shirt that Paige had only just bought for her the other day. "So… that's –"

"Chris," Piper offered with a half-smile.

"And he didn't tell me because –"

"He didn't exactly want to tell any of us, either," Paige offered with a loud sigh.

"But I'm his father."

The strings of Piper's heart tugged at Leo's plaintive whisper. She sighed and pushed past her sisters to take the chair next to him.

"He hasn't really talked much about… his time," she began slowly. "But I get the feeling that you were definitely not one of his favorite people."

"But –"

"Eh," Phoebe shook her head. "No buts. He's got some serious issues when it comes to you. Whatever they are – that's between you and him."

"In other words – you know who he is now – don't screw it up the second time around," Paige scowled. "He's a good guy – despite the lying to us from the very beginning thing."

Piper felt the corner of her mouth tug into a smile and she shook her head at her youngest sister's words. True, very true, but biting and sharp, just the same.

"So can we get back to the crisis at hand?" Phoebe demanded. Piper's brow knit together in confusion.

"What crisis?"

"Your son taking my son and orbing only Goddess knows where, for one thing. Hello? Did we miss that part of tonight's events?"

"That was… your son? From the future, too?" Any momentary abatement of confusion that Leo might have felt over their little talk about Chris was gone.

"No. Yes… sort of," Phoebe rolled her eyes, tapping her fingers nervously on the counter. "So – in summary. He's mine and Cole's son. I give birth to him in a few years, at which point we send him back in time, to oh say, the early, early eighties, for him to grow up and have a normal life because we're all so busy protecting Wyatt that there's no way in hell we thought we'd be able to protect him, too. We just found him today, he knows about us. He knows about Chris. He knows pretty much everything because that so-called normal life I sent him back in time for just didn't end up happening. He grew up on a Hellmouth, Leo! A Hellmouth! And now your son has run off with him and I'd like him back before I have a complete nervous breakdown," she paused, taking a deep breath. "Please."

Piper shut her mouth with a snap, blinking at her sister in surprise. "Well, that was certainly a mouthful. Feel better?"

"Much," Phoebe nodded.

"Okay," Leo began slowly. "Let me see if I understand this –"

x x x

Xander barely managed to fight back a decidedly unmanly yelp as they finished orbing and he found himself on what appeared to be the very top of the Golden Gate Bridge. He wobbled in the knees before finally catching himself, throwing an accusing glare at his cousin.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Didn't think you'd want to be around for the fall out," Chris shrugged. He sat down Indian-style, meeting Xander's glare with tired eyes.

"Yeah, well," Xander shrugged. "Shouldn't you, you know, be there for that? He's your dad and all."

Chris snorted. "Some dad."

It took Xander a minute to realize that Chris had to be talking about future events that hadn't occurred yet, since there was no way Leo could have been even trying to act like a dad up to a few minutes ago, when he, in rather spectacular fashion, found out for the first time that he –should- be acting like a dad. He sighed and sat down next to his cousin.

He wanted to ask what it was that this Leo guy had done that was so bad that Chris didn't even want to associate with him, but there was that part of him that was still very much aware that he had only known Chris for a few hours' time. And maybe, just maybe, Chris didn't feel like opening up all those deep dark secrets to him just yet.

"He was never there."

Or… maybe he did want to open up.

"Being an Elder is a big responsibility, I get that. And, sure, I'm the one that's to blame for him even being in that position – but when he was around he was busy with Wyatt. I might as well not even have been his son."

Xander nodded, licking his lips as he chose his next words carefully. "Understanding that – and believe me, having grown up with the Harrises, I know what its like to live with parents that don't give a crap about you – but this Leo isn't the same Leo that you grew up with. Maybe things will be different now that he knows."

"I wouldn't hold your breath," Chris shook his head, eyes dark. "He's pretty much already abandoned mom. Only comes by for a few minutes at a time, here and there, and usually spends most of that time with Wyatt. If he doesn't have time for the woman he promised to love and honor, how is he supposed to have time for me?"

Xander didn't know how to answer that one, so he kept his mouth shut. He leaned back, stretching his legs out in front of him. Being up this high wasn't nearly as frightening when he was safely sitting down, though there was still some definite butterfly-esque rumbling in his tummy whenever he thought too hard about where exactly they were.

"So – come up here often?" he laughed at his pathetic attempt for small talk.

Chris nodded. "They'll come looking for us soon."

"And do we run again at that point? Because I'm thinking that my apartment back in good old Sunnyhell might be a little safer than running all over the place trying to hide from your folks."

His cousin shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching upward for a second. "Aunt Phoebe's going to kill me for taking you with me, anyway. When they show up we'll just –"

"Take it like the fearless men we are?"

Chris laughed, nodding. "I think I'm going to like having you around."

Xander's smile grew. "You know, I think I might like being around – provided that we keep the trips to very high places to a minimum."

"This is where I come to think."

Well, Xander guessed that there certainly weren't many people coming up here to bug him while he was thinking, true, but that totally didn't make up for the fact that slipping and falling over the side could be a Very Bad Thing.

He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The day had gone from odd to weird, to weirder, all in just a few short hours. He'd met his birth mother; found out that his dad was half-demon – thereby making him part demon, too; and had been orb-napped by his crazy half-angel of a cousin to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Oh, no, this wasn't the stuff a supernatural Jerry Springer would be made of. Not at all.

"So – got any questions about the sisters, you know, while it's just me and you?" Chris' offer was a welcome interruption to his thoughts, however unexpected and out of nowhere it came.

"Are they always so –"

"Crazy?" Chris laughed. "Yeah. Pretty much. My mom is the level headed one, your mom is the passionate one, and Paige is just the –"

"Better be careful how you finish that, young man."

This time Xander did yelp. Just a little. So he couldn't help it if women appearing out of nowhere, right behind him, freaked the hell out of him.

" – and Aunt Paige is the loveable, yet zany one," Chris threw a grin over his shoulder. "And Aunt Phoebe, too. Mom and Leo couldn't make it?"

"They're having a talk." Xander snickered at the quote marks his mom made in the air. Talk was one euphemism for disagreement that he knew all too well. And this had to be one doozy of a disagreement, all things considered. She whirled on Chris, her laughing eyes not so laughing. "And you don't just grab my son and orb up here anymore or I'll.. I'll…"

"You'll --?" Chris prompted with a laugh.

"Lock you and your father in a warded room so that neither of you can orb away?" Paige asked with an arch of her eyebrows.

"Low blow, Paige," Chris snorted.

Xander noticed the swirling orb lights before the others did, though only by a second. Chris' eyes went distant, his mouth snapping shut. The good humor that he'd been displaying was gone like a light snapped off in the darkness. Piper looked resigned as she held Wyatt and Leo looked determined.

Somehow, Xander got the feeling that it was going to take more than just determination for Leo to crack whatever was eating at Chris.

"Come on, then," his mom sighed, patting his shoulder in what he thought was a very 'mom' way. "We should leave and let them talk."

"Don't leave on my account," Chris frowned. "I don't have anything to say."

"Chris," Piper tone held a note of warning. This was one lady not to be trifled with. Then again, all the women in his life up to this point, with the exception of his adopted mother, had been women 'not to trifle' with. "We're going to have a nice little family discussion."

"And you two are coming with me," Paige grinned, grabbing hold of both Xander and his mom at the same time. "We still have family history to discuss and questions to ask and –"

It was going to be a very long night, Xander thought with a groan, pleased nonetheless.

x x x End Part x x x


End file.
